Knockin' on heaven's door
by Dutch'76
Summary: The story is about Carmen Bachman, daughter of 'The Cleaner' played by Stephen King to whom we were first introduced to in S3. "Have the courage to live, anyone can die" are the wise words spoken to her by her father. *One day fiction became reality and I haven't been able to continue this story since for personal reasons. It's ON HOLD till further notice.*
1. Chapter 1

**Let's try something different … It feels as if I am starting something well out of my league and I haven't got the 'feel' for this story yet. Still I like to explore where this goes and feedback is very much appreciated. The story is about Carmen Bachman, daughter of 'The Cleaner' (played by Stephen King) to whom we were first introduced to in S3. To give you a fair warning, I am currently working two jobs and handling family issues so I am pressed for time, so updates will come as they do. **

Richard Bachman thoroughly enjoyed the rare moments he spend with his daughter. This night was one that could go in the books as a one to remember. He hadn't expected her when she showed up unannounced with a bottle of red wine under her arm and a box of chicken wings dangling in a plastic bag from the other. His thin lips formed into a smile, only his daughter would pick a rich, classy, not to mention expensive, full bodied Bordeaux to accompany a sleazy dinner consisting only out of chicken wings and chili sauce. A barbaric combination in his opinion, but so suitable to what was his daughter.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. She was attacking the meat covered bone, tearing the meat of with her teeth as if she was a predator feasting on its latest kill. Once she had undone the bone of the meat she caught him watching her and shrugged before disposing the remains of the chicken wing in the fire pit that was burning in front of them. The flames dancing in the darkness of the night, creating the most sinister shadows and reflections.

He leaned back and allowed himself to be swept away by the sounds of _in the hall of the mountain king_. He had a passion for classical music, a love she shared with him. He didn't know many thirty-five year olds that would refer to the classical masterpieces as _kick ass-ical. _She was weird, awkward to say the least but definitely controversial, still he was a proud father.

As a child she worried him tremendously the way she was void and detached from life and all things living. He remembered when he asked her what she wanted to be when she was older. He wished for answers like _animal doctor, nurse _or _superhero_. Instead she would look at him and roll he eyes as if he was asking her the dumbest question ever. With determination in her voice she informed him at the age of eight that when she was older she wanted to become _dead_.

For years he had blamed himself for his daughters' disturbances, she was brought up without the love of a mother. He tried to keep her mother in their lives, but she just didn't want to understand how much he loved her. It frustrated him beyond believe causing for their relationship to be on both ends of the scales. Incredibly violent at the one end and sensually loving at the other. Unhealthy as it may have been their relationship had been balanced, unhealthy but balanced. It wasn't until Carmen was born that their marriage had gone from bad to worse, his wife got caught in this symbiotic relationship with the child. It took him a few years to see it, recognize it and to understand it, but his wife didn't exist as a separate human being next to the child. She pulled Carmen into her own chaotic inner world and Carmen couldn't separate herself from her mother to grow into an independent individual. Bachman had taken matters into his own hands when Carmen didn't get room to exist and had become hollow and empty, just a shell without contents. He had feared he had been too late, she had always seemed void and detached from life, incapable of loving and being loved. He wasn't really helpful either, it takes a certain person with a certain personality to do the job he does.

He always thought that honesty was the best way forward, children know more than adults give them credit for and with his profession he didn't want her mind to fill in the blanks. So at an early age he told her that he was a _cleaner. _When _'Eek'_ the cat died he had shown her what his work entailed. Together they had watched as the flesh bubbled and burned off the bones in the bucket with acid and she had been intrigued with how easily the body had dissolved.

When she was twenty she had been engaged to a guy, he never thought he was right for her. He didn't _get_her, a father knows these things. He knew she had to go through life's experiences to become what he always wanted, a strong independent individual with a heart. He watched as his daughter tried to be someone she was not. She started to wear colorful clothes and dedicated her life to being a domestic homemaker. It pained him to see how she sold herself short and centered her life around her fiancé, but he had faith that one day she would stand up and chose her own path. A couple of years later she had come home telling him that her fiancé was gone. He had asked her when he would come back but one look at her face had made him regret ever asking that question.

_One dies for another one to be born_, it was his way to justify whatever happened to her former fiancé. After the failed relationship Carmen went back to school, studied as if her life depended on it and became an entrepreneur. She started her own business offering 'crime and trauma scene clean up services', following in her old man's footsteps. She had built a solid business and even employed a few men. She had taken some psychology and sociology courses to develop her emotional side.  
>In essence they did the same thing, but he operated in the dark and shady part of the world where she had a legit company, being called after the fire department or police had left the scene. He hardly ever had to deal with people who were suffering or grieving, but she had willed to make a name for herself for being one to clean up a scene and do it fast and respectful so that people would be thankful and grateful for her services. She wanted not only to clean up the mess but clear the way as well so the grieving could begin for those who were left behind without being traumatized any further by being confronted with the horrible sight of where their loved one had left this world.<p>

Bachman took the remote of the stereo and skipped to his favorite opera.

"Dad!" she exclaimed and for a moment he recognized the child in her. "Really?" She sighed as the first sounds of _Carmina Burana_ found their way outside to the porch.

His lips pressed into a thin line with the corners slightly curled upwards when he saw her mumble to the words as if she was praying. _O fortuna, velut luna_ . He loved this opera, he loved the story and he loved his daughter.

The pair listened to the orchestra, refilled their crystal glasses with the royal blood red fluid and enjoyed each other's presence every now and then tossing another chicken bone into the fire.

"You need to talk about it?" Bachman asked after a hour of pleasurable silence between the two of them.

She shook her head. "I just need my dad."

He nodded and didn't press any further. She never was much of a talker, nor was he so he could relate to that. Sometimes it was enough to be around people who were like minded, who understood without asking questions or needing to hear the answers. He outstretched his hand for her to grab it.

Carmen looked at her father and put her hand in his. The warm calloused fingers wrapped themselves protectively around hers. He always had a knack of knowing what she needed. She loved being with her dad, she didn't need to explain herself. Here with her dad, she could be the daughter and let him take care of her.

He rubbed her hand. "I am proud of you Carmen."

She smiled, she knew he was proud of her not only because of her ability to set up a business in a field where only a few dared to go. He was proud of her as a person and it felt so good to hear someone say it out loud. She had worked hard to set up her business and she was handling it fine, but every day she was confronted with the hard truth that life was short and volatile and lately she felt that life was passing her by. She sighed deeply and stared into the flames zoning out, overthinking that cold and empty feeling that had buried itself inside her soul.

"Have the courage to life, anyone can die." Her dad said as he squeezed her hand briefly and with that he hit the nail on the head.

_Another one bites the dust, and another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust. _Bachman let go of his daughters hand and reached into his pocket to dig for his phone and shot his daughter an apologetic smile.

She couldn't help but chuckle unsure if he was apologizing for the interruption of their night together or for choice of ringtone that was blaring through the night. She couldn't hear the full conversation but caught the tail end of it when he came back outside.

"Care to join me on a job?" He asked as he put his phone back in his pocket. "Work side by side with your old man?"

"Painting and carpentry?"

Bachman nodded. _Painting _meant cleaning and scrubbing the scene spotless, _carpentry _was their code for disposing of bodies. His bodies never left in a handmade coffin, nevertheless they still referred to it as _boxing _or _carpeting. _

She got up from the lawn chair and stretched her arms above her head. "You can do the painting, I am dying for some carpentry, they never leave any bodies for me at a crime scene."

"That's my girl." He said with a proud grin.


	2. Chapter 2

**I was stunned to see the alerts for this story and the reviews really made me wiggle my tail (if I had one that is). Thank you so much! I hope that this chapter will be just as well received as the first one and I hope you will enjoy the read! **

Tig had returned to the group after he made the phone call to the cleaner. "Bachman will be here in about an hour, said he is bringing an associate since we are experiencing a superfluous amount of bodies."

"Superfluous?" Clay scolded at this Sergeant at Arms, his head slightly tilted and his eyebrows raised. "Is that how you call this … this … whatever this is?" Clay asked, frustration carrying through his voice while waving his hand around at the chaos that surrounded them as if he was swatting a fly.  
>"Get on your bike we're rolling out", he barked. "Chibs, Jax come with. Hap, Juice deal with this … <em>superfluous<em> situation."

Chibs put an arm around his brothers' shoulders in a comradely gesture as they made way to their bikes and snorted. "Not the time ta practice new words Tigger."

Her dad was leading the way and she mentally shook her head as she was trailing behind him in her van. As always he asked her to ride with him and as usual she had declined saying she wasn't ready to shake hands with St. Peter. He was sixty-four years of age and yes he didn't care much for appearances and he wasn't looking for acceptance either, still that didn't justify him dressing in a long black leather coat, wearing biker boots and dark jeans, riding a red Hog as if he just walked back into the midlife crisis that he should have stepped out of years ago. His hair was at that length that you could nearly hear it scream for haircut, yet it emphasized the man he was. To her he was her dad and regardless of her age he was tasked with embarrassing her, to society he was the eccentric, slightly misunderstood individual and in the dark depths of the underworld he was known as _the cleaner_.

Carmen felt a hint of excitement in the pit of her stomach as her dad slowed down to continue on a sandy and bumpy road leading them away from the residential area that they drove through. It couldn't be much further, she was feeling giddy to get to work with her father. His job was so similar to hers and yet the circumstances were so different. He was called _before _the emergency services were called to the scene and even though they both mastered the skill to turn back the time by making everything look the same as it did before the events had taken place, that itself was a significant difference. You couldn't even call it a fine line between right and wrong, what her father did made him a criminal and an accomplice in every crime that he had covered up. She chided herself, she didn't want to go there, not tonight, not ever. She loved her father and if he didn't do it, then someone else would. As they say '_it's a dirty job but someone's got to do it'. _

They arrived at what seemed like an abandoned garage type building just outside the outskirts of whatever nameless town they cruised through. There was a dull light coming from behind the big doors that could easily welcome big agricultural vehicles inside. The doors opened upon their arrival and she followed her dad inside the building and watched how two men shut the doors behind them.  
>Without giving it a second thought Carmen jumped out of her van. She didn't know if it was her ignorance concerning the unfamiliar situation or the familiarity of it that was custom to arriving at a crime scene in her van knowing that she was about to do something she was good at. Either way, the minute she got out of her van she wished she had paused and had thought it over.<p>

She turned around to shut the door behind her when she saw a gloved hand appear on top of the door and heard another hand find residence against the side of her van with a forceful slam. She felt a dark, prominent presence behind her and slowly turned to see that her moves were blocked by what she could only describe as the devil in disguise.

"Carmen." Bachman saw how Happy had his daughter pinned at the side of her van and it didn't amuse him. He had seen first handed what the club's enforcer was capable of. He had seen the mutilated bodies, tortured into their endings. He had seen the angst and the fear forever captured in the lifeless stares of their eyes caused by the pain that was inflicted before death came upon them.  
>No human could be that macabre without feeling some twisted form of enjoyment in doing so and on a professional level he could appreciate the creative, nearly artistic-like antics of the man, but as a father he didn't appreciate the enforcer anywhere near his daughter.<p>

Carmen vaguely registered her father's voice calling out her name and locked eyes with the man standing in front of her. She gently placed her hand against his chest and gave him a slight push. "Excuse me." Her voice was hardly audible still the words were spoken with confidence. Happy let his hand slide of the side of the van forcing her to awkwardly move around him. She didn't think he was being rude, he was merely making his point. He probably didn't expect her to be here and knowing what they were coming to do, she could understand that he wanted to make clear where she stood, where _he _stood. She walked towards her father when she heard the door of her van slam shut with force. She cringed at the sound. _Now that was rude. _"You think that's shut?" She mumbled to herself in protest.

"You want to go and make sure?" She heard a strained and abused voice retort behind her. She hadn't meant for him to hear her and judging by the tone of his voice he wasn't expecting an answer back from her either.

She felt as if he was chasing her, seeing if he could stress her into running and scrambling towards the protection of her dad. '_When a man hurries, the devil smiles'_, she thought to herself and focused on walking at the same pace, not allowing him to throw her off balance. She couldn't deny it that she was happy when she stood next to her father and maybe she even stood a little closer to him than she intended. She noticed the faintest flickering in his eyes telling her that he saw it too and was celebrating his personal victory in succeeding of getting under her skin.

She watched as he shook hands with her father, completely ignoring her now and excluding her from the short conversation. Her dad wasn't much of a talker, but he certainly didn't waste his breath either. Straight to the point and clearly in charge of the situation.  
>She gave him one of her best sassy looks as she watched him taking in every inch of her as if he was sizing her up, categorizing and labeling her before sticking her into whatever department that he would seem fit. Just as she decided that he was definitely making her skin crawl they started to move. The one sporting a Mohawk and a friendlier attitude was leading the way, followed by her dad and of course 'Lucifer' was closing the lines behind her causing her to shudder involuntarily.<p>

They walked deeper into the building to what appeared to be an office space of some sorts or maybe it was a storage room. The guy with the Mohawk stopped dead in his tracks with his hand on the door handle nearly causing a pile up collision. "Er … I dunno but it is kind of a mess in there." He said as he directed his eyes to Carmen. Bachman stared at him with a blank expression on his face not understanding what the delay was for. Carmen couldn't help but smile, her father never was able to read between the lines of the spoken word. You either gave him a clear message or you just said nothing at all. "It's okay, really." She offered him an assuring smile that he returned with one of his own before swinging the door open. Her father stepped in first with Carmen hot on his heels. She looked around and the sight in front of her instantly comforted her. This was known territory.

Being a crime and trauma scene cleaner was a strange profession and it could really turn you inside out both physically and mentally. You needed to have a strong stomach to be able to clean after a suicide or murder where the body had been decomposing for a month before it was found. Mentally Carmen had dealt with a fair share of internal and morally conflicts. She found herself waiting by the phone being frustrated that no one had died yet and when that phone finally rang she often was excited and thrilled that someone had finally left this world leaving a mess behind for her to clean up. It takes some serious rationalizing when you become aware of the fact that you are impatiently waiting and praying for someone to die. The sight in front of her would really rake in some serious cash and she instantly wondered how much her dad was collecting for this job when she had a look around.

Happy leaned against the door post while watching Bachman and his associate assessing the damage they, well mainly he and Tig had done in the storage room. Bachman wasn't a stranger to the Sons, they had been using his services on several occasions in the past. He did the job without asking for excessive amounts of cash, he didn't ask questions and never looked the slightest bit interested in whatever story was behind the job that he was called in for. Bachman was the type of guy that came with nothing and left nothing behind after he left.  
>His eyes trained on Bachman's associate, <em>Carmen<em>. When Tig had said that Bachman was going to bring an associate he didn't expect said associate to be a woman. Women couldn't and shouldn't be able to stomach the visuals of shear violence. There was nothing attractive about a chick that thought she was hard enough to do a man's job. He didn't understand the drive of those feminist cunts that felt like they had to prove that they were just as good, if not better than the opposite sex. Sooner or later they had to admit their weakness and acknowledge the superiority that men held over them. Women _take care_ and men _take charge_, it's as simple as that.

From the moment Happy had seen her jump out of the van she instantly pissed him off. Maybe it was the adrenaline or endorphin that was still coursing through his body, but she fuelled his aggravation. It didn't help that Carmen was well on her way of proving him wrong, he started counting silently in his head how long it would take for her to start barfing, but at _twenty-three_ he noticed that if anything she started to relax more and more the longer she was inside the room. He looked at Juice who seemed to be intrigued by Bachman's associate and who met his eyes with a questioningly look and mouthed _´What the fuck?´._  
>They both watched as Bachman and Carmen took out their notepads and started wandering around the room. Bachman was nodding to himself as if he was visualizing the task at hand and Carmen was lost in her own thoughts chewing on her pen. She poked one of the bodies with the end of it and an unknowledgeable sound escaped her mouth. She wrote something down and was about stick the pen back in her mouth when her face scrunched in disgust realizing just in time where it had been only seconds ago. There was something disarming about the way her nose wrinkled and her desperate attempt to wipe her pen clean on her jeans and Happy felt his foul mood slightly decrease.<p>

"Stay here, see what he needs." Happy said to juice. "I'm outside."


	3. Chapter 3

**Again thank you so much for the interest in this story and mega thanks to those who reviewed. Really is amazing. I want to keep the chapters short, trying to focus on the quality rather than the quantity. I am starting to set things up the best way I can to get the ball rolling later on.  
>Hope you will enjoy the read and if you have time let me know what you think by leaving a review. <strong>

"Hold up, wait a minute." Tig stood at his favorite spot at the head of the bar and gestured for the prospect to slide another beer in his direction. "You're actually saying there is a _Mrs._Bachman?"

"Don't know about that, but if Bachman is hitting that he is one lucky guy." Juice emphasized his words by following the female curves with his hands.

Tig's brows raised and his eyes shot towards Happy. "Is he for real?"

"Mountain tops, valley below." Happy confirmed his brother's story and knocked back the whiskey that was in front of him. He slammed the glass back on the smooth surface of the clubhouse bar and up nodded the prospect for another refill. He and Juice had only been back for a good fifteen minutes and he was already on his third or fourth glass. It wasn't uncommon for the club's enforcer to knock back a few drinks, but it took him more effort and self-control than usual to hide away the emotions that were hidden behind his thirst.  
>The sun was starting to gain in strength as the day announced its arrival and pierced through the half-assed blinded clubhouse windows. Happy glanced at the clock, the day hadn't even begun before it was already wasted and he was bound to follow. He wanted to get drunk and hit the sack.<p>

Tig grabbed both sides of the bar and forcefully bucked his hips against the counter. "Damn, I would have liked that. You know, the whole nailing the maid and all."

"Yep … and bullets go where you point the gun." Juice deadpanned while rolling his eyes and grabbing himself another beer.

Tig frowned with confusion written all over his face and looked at Bobby. "He only just figured that out or something?"

Bobby ignored Tig and watched as Happy killed off the remainder of his drink and made his way towards the dorm rooms.

Richard Bachman looked at the antique pendulum wall clock that was mounted on the wall of his small living area. Time was one thing that he had always been able to count on. It kept the world in motion and pressed lives forward. He silently joined into the steady rhythm. _Tick__ … __tock__...__tick__...__tock.  
><em>His eyes were drawn to ornament that graced the top of the beautiful oak hour work, it was the mythological figure of Atlas holding the world on his shoulders. Nowadays people were too busy, too involved and invested in their shallow day to day lives to question or wonder about that what was presented in front of them. Originally Atlas was condemned to carry the heavens to prevent the earth and the skies from their primordial embrace, but who knew?

He listened and heard Carmen turn of the water in the shower and looked up to the ceiling following her footsteps on the floorboards above him. They could go weeks, months and on several occasions they had gone so much as a year without any contact and she wouldn't even cross his mind once. But it was when she was there -with him- that his heart ached from how much he had missed her. Opening his wine cabinet he picked a remarkable _vin__doux__naturel_and filled two glasses with the deep mahogany colored fluid.

When Carmen entered the room she went straight to what she had called the 'naughty drawer' for all her life. Her father was a perfectionist in every way, which also meant that he had the best Swiss dark chocolate. It was hard to beat a quality wine and an equally good chunk of exquisite chocolate to go with it. She sat down in one of the leather recliners and let the wine swirl in her mouth, letting her taste buds experience the intense treatment.

"So are you considering giving me a job dad?" She said with a good natured smile. They both knew this was a one off occasion. Bachman had always successfully managed to keep his daughter out his world. Nevertheless he had really enjoyed being able to see her at work. She was every bit the professional that he knew she was, but she proved to be able to handle it a lot better than he had given her credit for.

"More like the other way around, I am planning my retirement. Maybe in time you can hook up your old man with the odd job here and there."

"You mean you didn't set up a retirement plan?" Carmen mockingly asked her father as she bit of a chunk of the hard chocolate.

"You're eating it."

Carmen fell asleep in the recliner and when a ray of sunlight hit her face Bachman felt like he was ready to die. He had played such a key role in her life and still she turned out so perfect. He sighed, a father's job was never done, nor was his. He took a blanket out of the cupboard under the stairs and carefully draped it over her before heading to his bedroom.

It was 14.34 when Happy looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand next to his bed. He swung his legs out of bed and sat upright for a moment with his feet on the ground. He rubbed his hand over his bald skull and his face while letting out a primal sounding grunt in an attempt to bring himself quicker into world of the wake. He hated it when he slept this long, normally a five hour average was sufficient enough to recharge. He looked at the clock again and tried to work out how many hours he had slept only to find out that his brain wasn't quite there yet. _Fuck __this._He got up and staggered towards the shower. The shower did nothing for him and every movement of his body felt like a real task. If it wasn't for the absence of a major headache he would swear that he was suffering from the mother of all hangovers.  
>He lit a cigarette while slowly dressing himself in jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt, digging through the pockets of the jeans that he wore the night before he found a couple of ten's and what not. He threw the jeans on the pile of laundry in the corner, stuck the money in his pocket and left the rest on his nightstand without giving it a second look before shrugging into his cut.<p>

"Coffee Hap?" The prospect took a mug from behind him ready to fill it up for the full patched member.

Yeah he needed coffee, but not the cheap shit that was served in the clubhouse. Without acknowledging the prospect Happy went for the door, putting his sunglasses on before opening it and stepping outside. Happy made a quick scan of the bikes that were lined up and noticed several empty spots, he turned into the direction of the bay doors of the auto repair shop in search of one of his brothers.

"Church at five" Jax called out at him and Happy raised his head only slightly to let Jax know that he had heard him.

That gave him barely two hours to get some food, coffee and wake the hell up. He mounted his bike and put on his gloves, feeling the motor idling obediently underneath him instantly bettered his mood. This was exactly what he needed to wake up. The symbiotic relation between a man and his motorcycle, where a cage is more forgiving of mistakes a motorcycle is not and requires for the man riding it to become one with the machine. Finally leaving the streets of Charming behind, he opened the throttle and zoomed over the highway, weaving in and out of traffic.

On his way back to Charming he felt renewed, having had plenty of coffee and a late breakfast really made him come to life. He didn't feel the urge to fly over the road like he had on the way up to his favorite roadside diner. A white van cruising on the right lane only a couple of cars in front of him drew his attention. It wasn't until he caught himself red-handed for looking inside the vehicle and meeting eyes with the sweaty, overweight, middle aged driver that he thought back at the night before. Where it would have soured him earlier he now was able to laugh at himself when he realized that for a split moment he had thought that it was _the__maid__'__s_ van that he passed only seconds ago. Whatever she had done to rub him the wrong way and to flare up his aggravation the night before, he was passed it now and had left it behind him on the open road.

"There's Hap." Juice shouted from the front of the garage towards the office.

"Close this joint up." Clay ordered and pushed himself off Gemma's desk.

"You heard the boss, get your shit and get the fuck out of here." Tig repeated while herding the mechanics out the door, leaving the couple in the office.

"You go home too momma." Clay's hand slid behind the back of Gemma's head to pull her in for a kiss.

"I finish up the paperwork of today's repo's and then I shoot off." She answered, never one to fail Clay in letting him know that she followed her own agenda.

Clay's grip tightened ever so slightly at her words. "Don't be long."

"I won't baby." Gemma cupped Clay's face with both hands and pressed another kiss on his lips.

Happy sat in his seat at the Redwood table, his legs crossed at the ankles and comfortably leaning back in his chair. As a Nomad he stayed where he was wanted and went where he was needed. He attended meetings at different charters but didn't have a vote. It was something that he missed during his time as a traveling man, not that he was the type who held long plea's at the table to pitch his ideas, but the right to vote gave him a sense of belonging. It made him feel more part of the club when he could voice his opinion with a seemingly simple 'yay' or 'nay'.

Things had been relatively quiet lately in the world of the Sons. Right up until last night's events that was. There had been rumors brewing for a couple of weeks about a street gang cooking and trafficking drugs within or close to the Charming area. Last night was supposed to be nothing more than a serious inquiry and a potential warning that such activities wouldn't be tolerated.  
>"Anyone cares to address the major fuck up that went down last night?" Clay looked around the table but no one indicated that they had anything to contribute on the matter. "Shit like that can't happen again." Again no one felt the need to say anything.<p>

Happy felt a smile tug on the corner of his mouth when he looked at Tig. His brother sat next to the President staring into space with blue innocent puppy eyes waiting for the moment to pass. _Innocent __my __ass._They both had gone a little overboard when they had their 'heart to heart' with a suspected dealer. When the bastard wasn't willing hand out any information they had tried to extract it from him quite literally … finger by finger.  
>It became clear why the guy didn't want to give anything up. He was waiting for his back up. By the time his cavalry showed up in a stupid but brave attempt to save their unfortunate friend, Clay had rolled in with Jax, Juice and Chibs only minutes before, leaving the horseless cavalry slightly outnumbered. At first it had been quite enjoyable and it had all the signs that it would have ended with a good thumping until one of the dumb fucks decided to pull a gun and aimlessly started shooting. Lesson number one: Never pull a gun when you don't intent to use it in the way that it is made for.<br>Guns came out on both sides and within a minute there was none of them left who could retell that valuable lesson. Still even then things wouldn't have been too bad if it wasn't for the fact that they were still inside Charming borders and transporting and dumping five bodies would seriously involve some advanced logistical skills.

"Heard that Bachman brought his cleaning lady to the scene?"

Happy was pulled out of his thoughts by the mentioning of the cleaning lady.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow, this update took forever to come out. Hope you all are still with me. I worked two jobs the last couple of months. It's funny how your mind and body shut down when you get some time off after pushing yourself too hard. So I spend my holidays coughing and doing something close to nothing. Started this year on evening shifts, but everything should settle down now quickly and hopefully updates start flowing again. Thank you for your interest in this story so far and special thanks to those who reviewed. Really made me happy!**

After the obvious comments and laughs at the expense of Mr. and Mrs. Bachman, the club went back to business.

"Bachman couldn't estimate a price last night before getting to the scene. Told him to throw it up the tab and that I would contact him today to arrange a meet."

Clay nodded at his Sergeant at Arms before turning his attention to the club's treasurer. "Club able to handle it?"

Bobby dropped his glasses down on his nose and glanced through the books in front of him shaking his head from left to right. It looked more as if he was bobbing his head to a good tune than calculating numbers. "It's going to take out a good chunk out of our savings, but we should be able to cover it."

"Should ask for a bulk discount …" Clay spoke to no one in particular but his dismay about last night's events was still evident in the sarcastic tone that laced his voice. "Set up that meeting as soon as you can, bad idea to keep Bachman waiting for his money. Happy go with Tig and the both of you can expect a cut in your pocket money."

"Aaaaw man." Tig started to protest but was quickly silenced when he met Clay's glare. "Anyone else got something to bring to the table?"

"I need a couple of personal days."

Clay frowned and looked at Happy. "Mother?"

Hap shook his head. "Tacoma, want to touch base."

"You can go after the meet with Bachman. Pack light, want you back after a couple of days."

Chairs scraped over the wooden floor as the members were getting up and leaving the chapel after the meeting was adjourned. Walking through the double doors Clay grabbed both Happy and Tig by the neck and roughed them up a little with a fatherly shake before steering his guys to the bar. "Let me get you guys a beer. Prospect …" Clay bellowed through the clubhouse. He smiled widely and raised both hands in the air with the palms up in a very 'Fonzy' manner, confidence bordering cockiness while playing the murdered innocence at the same time. He held his beer up for the others to tap it with theirs. "Happy days."

-=SOA=-

Two days later in the early morning on the parking of a roadside motel in Lodi two bikers pulled up for their meeting with Bachman. Even at this early hour it was clear that it was going to be a warm day in San Joaquin County. Happy leant casually forward on the tank of his bike, legs stretched out to the front with both feet planted firmly on the ground. Tig dismounted his Dyna, rolled his shoulders and yawned lazily before going through his pockets in search of his smokes.

"Bit of an odd place to meet up with Bachman." Happy commented as he leaned over to grab the cigarette that Tig offered him.

"The dude likes his wines apparently." Tig shrugged. "Lodi is the place to be."

Happy raised an eyebrow giving his brother a worrying look. "So I've been told." Tig added for his own personal rescue.

It didn't take long before the distinctive red colored bike of the cleaner came into view. Moments later Bachman came to a halt only inches away from the two bikers. Happy straightened himself and Tig moved around to stand on the other side of Bachman. Instinctively Bachman rolled his bike back so he wouldn't be boxed in between the two outlaws. In response Tig kept a respectful distance between him and the old cleaner and discretely handed Bachman a magnolia colored envelope. "You can check, it's all there, five times regular fee."

Bachman took the envelope and tucked it away in the inside of his black leather coat without even looking at it.

"How's the missus?" Tig asked casually. His unhealthy curiosity combined with the frustration about not having seen the maid who came to clean up the mess for himself made him ask the question against better judgment.

The expression on Bachman's face never changed, his lips still pressed into the same thin line, but his blue eyes stared back at Tig with an intensity that was uncharacteristic for the man. For a moment Tig felt as if he was thrown into one of those old western movies where everything suddenly falls quiet just before the two rivals walk slowly to their separate positions to draw their guns. It felt as if time was dragging on like one long sleepless night, unnerving and surreal.  
>Happy coughed and successfully broke the tension between the two men in front of him. "She feeds my obsessive need to clean up after her." The words unmistakably held a warning but Tig sensed something else, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Like there was a worry that trickled down the words. Without so much of a goodbye Bachman started the engine of his bike and rode off leaving Happy and Tig behind.<p>

"Smooth bro, real smooth." Happy said with a half grin on his face. "Thought he was gonna wack ya right there and then bro."

"Guess I thread on some dangerous grounds there." Tig shook his head a couple of times in disbelieve and laughed. "Fucking hell, I won't be calling him out again anytime soon."

"Where'd you find him anyways?"

"Was a friend or something of Otto 'L'il Killer' Moran back in the day. Ancient story to be fair, no one really talks about it much since he was found head down in a river. My SAA patch came with a little black book, had his number in there." Tig shrugged. "Can't believe the stare he gave me, you seen that? Didn't know he had it in him."

"Right I am off bro, got a good eight hours before I hit up Tacoma."

-=SOA=-

Happy arrived in record time at the clubhouse in Tacoma after slabbing it on the interstate. He could hear the music blaring behind the doors of the building. The door swung open and an obvious drunk couple fell outside, chick giggling -if you can call it that- like a cat in heat and the guy cursing like a sailor.  
>Happy shook his head, some things never change and thank fuck for that. He loved Charming, always had even before he got a seat at the Redwood table. He respected Clay like no other but he had a home here with his brothers in Tacoma and every now and then he needed the change of scenery. Pushing through the door of the clubhouse he scanned the crowd looking for the familiar faces. "Hap brother!"<p>

After he was welcomed by his brothers and had finished off the cold one that was forced into his hand Happy made way to one of the vacant rooms in the back of the clubhouse to have a shower and clean the road dust of him. He put on a clean t-shirt before heading back out. It was a relatively quiet evening, but the place had a good buzz.

"What brings you up here bro? Didn't know you were coming our way." Tacoma's Sergeant at Arms asked when he held out a bottle of beer for Happy to accept.

"Missed your ugly mug Koz."

"Aaaw bro, you have such a way with words. Always know how to make me feel special, look what you are doing to me. I get all emotional." Kozik wiped an imaginary tear away from under his eye and sniffed to add a little drama for good measure.

Happy laughed and punched his friend in the chest. "Blow me bitch." It was good to be home.

"Chicks dig guys that aren't afraid to show their emotions…."

"You look more like a fairy that has his balls trapped in his zipper."

"Ouch that hurts bro, real bad. It's raining in my heart." Koz laughed and eyed the petite blonde that walked passed him. "Need some sweet loving to help me get over that and I just found the girl who's gonna make me feel all better." He nodded his head to the side. "If ya looking for some action yourself tonight, I can personally recommend that sweet brunette over there. Chick's highly flexible." He quirked his eyebrows suggestively.

-=SOA=-

Bachman stood in the doorpost watching how his daughter went through the drawers and cupboards of his kitchen like a woman possessed. She took after her mother, quick tempered and slightly dramatic in her ways when things didn't go according to plan. He was thankful that Carmen also inherited some of his trades. Unlike her mother who always seemed to snowball out of control, Carmen was able to defuse whatever mood she was in if that was what the situation required her to do so … but more so if she wanted to.

"Why the hell do you have such a big ass fridge when there is nothing in it?" Carmen snapped at her father when she turned around and kicked the stainless steel door of fridge freezer combination shut with the heel of her foot. She had woken up to the growling sounds of her empty stomach which had sent her straight into a funk. Half her life was orchestrated around crime, death, accidents and the hodgepodge that came with it. She was on call twenty-four seven with no schedule or rhythm. This caused the other half of her life to be driven on primal impulses, needs and instincts like … the sharp hunger pains she was feeling in the pit of her stomach. The fact that she had found nothing fit for consumption didn't contribute positively towards her mood.  
>She looked at the blank expression on her father's face as if he was trying to translate her words not quite sure what she wanted to hear. "Never mind," Carmen rolled her eyes secretly thankful for not having found any body parts or Tupperware labeled 'stew'.<p>

"You are hungry." It was more of a conclusion than a question.

She couldn't help but smile and shake her head. Her father seemed rather pleased with himself as if he had just solved one of life's greatest mysteries. "Yes, I am starving … I could eat the hand of a scabby child."

"Ran out of those last week, but there is a diner not far away."

A simple thing like going for a bite to eat with her father has always been like an event on its own. Carmen never looked at her father as odd, they always been on the same wavelength and able to interact in a quite natural manner. However being in public with him made her realize that many people had a different perspective on what was normal to her. She chuckled when she saw her father walk into the diner, with his six foot four frame and biker leathers people had no choice but to notice him. His large strides made his thick, black hair bounce with the movement. He didn't acknowledge anyone inside and probably didn't even see the waitress that attempted to welcome them to show them to their table. He wasn't being rude, well not intentionally anyways, he was just being … him.  
>The waitress obviously felt offended judging by her scrunched up face and Carmen offered her an apologetic smile. Carmen dramatically scurried after her father fueling the already judgmental looks her father was earning. She inwardly smiled when she was offered the sympathetic and pitiful glances from the other customers. She could hear the muffled comments and whispers around her about the old man with the poor young girl half his age.<p>

"Thought you were hungry." Richard Bachman said impatiently as he handed her the menu and waved the over. Carmen didn't even have time to see what food was served at the diner so she just settled with a 'whatever he's having' and a diet coke.

"So why are you here anyways?" Bachman asked while stuffing too much food in his mouth. His middle finger went to the bridge of his glasses to push them back up into place.

"Part from seeing my dear old dad you mean?" Bachman nodded and waved his hand impatiently for her to continue, his mouth still working to break up the food in workable pieces.

-=SOA=-

Happy rolled out of bed and took a quick shower before making his way towards the kitchen. "Mornin' brother, didn't see much of you last night. How's Charming treating you?"

Happy poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down next to his former President. "Can't complain." The last thing Happy needed was an early morning chat with Lee. Conversations with Lee always had the tendency to be inquisitive, like the man had nothing better to do than to figure out what went on inside your head. When Happy had heard Lee's voice he contemplated for a brief moment to skip the clubhouse coffee and find some on the road but he respected the man in command too much to make a hasty exit.

Lee studied his former member carefully. "You alright son? You look like you've been running from the devil himself."

_More like herself. _"Nothing I can't handle."

Lee nodded but looked unconvinced and unsatisfied with the answer. "So what are your plans for today?"

"Gonna go to Koz's in a minute, check his place out. "

Lee reached out to grab today's newspaper and grinned. "Koz is nesting, getting ready for that pretty bird that he is bound to land."

"That so?" Happy asked casually while downing half of his coffee in one swallow.

"Positive, the man came a long way Hap. The club is everything but the loving arms of a woman…"

This was exactly one of those directions in which Happy didn't want to go. "Plenty of loving arms around here every night."

"Hot pussy cools down mighty quick." Lee picked up the newspaper and made his way towards one of the tables to sit down and read.

Happy raised his eyebrows surprised that the conversation didn't go any further. He knew better than to think that he came off lightly. He knew that Lee would question his presence in Tacoma any other given time. He downed the remains of his coffee and took his gloves from the bar. "I'll be back later today."

Lee never looked up from his paper but gave an acknowledging wave in his direction to tell him that he had heard.

-=SOA=-

Happy parked his bike outside the small detached house in the middle of a suburban street. He snorted at the white picket fences of the neighboring residents. Maybe Lee was right, maybe Koz was slowing his roll. He shook his head and dismissed the thought instantly. Koz might _want_ to settle down but if so he was just setting himself up for yet another disaster. Happy had seen it before and it never ended well for his brother. He walked up the path towards the front door. "Yo Koz!" He shouted to announce his arrival.

"Livingroom."

Happy walked into the spacious living room but instead of the old sofas and cluttered furniture he was used to, he walked into one of those catalogue approved interior rooms. "Tidied up quite a bit."

"Yeah look at this." Koz pointed at the sixty inch plasma TV that was mounted on the wall. "Waiting for one of those to be delivered for the bedroom."

_Settling down my ass _Happy thought. Koz just needed a place to stack his new gadgets. Happy never cared much for material things, but Koz always wanted to look good and have the latest things.

Koz and Happy were catching up on the latest gossip when Koz's phone rang.

"Yeah I am there … k see ya in a minute." Koz ended the call and tucked his phone away. "Delivery is here."

Happy followed his brother towards the front door as he saw a white van park in front of the house. He knew that van or at least that van reminded him of _her. _Happy clenched his fists for a moment chastising himself mentally for letting _her _invade his thoughts once again. He seriously was developing white van issues. The door of the van swung open and instead of a tall dark haired and fair skinned little devil jumping out, he watched as a bald dude step out of the cabin. Happy sized him up out of habit, the guy was easily his size but heavier build, around his late forties and he had the demeanor of someone that had been around and had seen a thing or two in his life. The sound of a door slamming shut on the other side of the van made Happy look up.

The guy turned around to his companion. "Oi! You think that's shut?"

A low growl escaped from Happy's chest. _The devil on his back. _

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you can spare the time, leave a review please :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**I really appreciate the interest in the story, thank you very much. A special thanks to those who left me a review. It's nice to hear back what you think or even just if you enjoyed it or not.  
><strong>  
>"Next time you slam that door … you will know never to that again, capice?"<p>

A skinny kid in his late teens, maybe early twenties came from behind the passenger's side of the van stumbling over his apology. "Sorry Bri."

"You're sorry? Sorry is what you tell your girlfriend when you finish too quick." The older guy said with a low growl in his voice.

Kozik was trying his best not to laugh but failed miserably. Happy watched the scenario play out in front of him and couldn't suppress a laugh himself.

"Can't get the staff these days." The older guy said shaking his head. "He's about as useful as a handbrake on a canoe." He shook hands with Kozik and the two men pulled each other in a quick embrace. He then offered his hand to Happy, "Brian."

The two men got acquainted and followed Kozik into the kitchen for some much needed caffeine leaving the kid on his own to move and install the television. They were engaged in what would class as random guy talk. "You gonna stop by at the clubhouse this Friday?"

"I don't know mate, probably not. Boss is out of state so I am on call until we find someone with a steady stomach." Brian answered while refilling his mug and shrugged. "Asked an old buddy of mine from the slaughter house, said he would think about it."

Kozik explained to Happy that the rough looking man worked for a company offering crime scene and trauma clean up services. Happy liked the bloke in his brother's kitchen, he had some good stories to tell and it had been a long time since he had laughed like he had this morning, so he wrote it off to sheer coincidence that within the last couple of days he had met three crime scene cleaners of which two were driving a white van.

The conversation came to a hold when the kid stood in the door unsure if he could speak up and or not. "Oh Davy." Brian sighed impatiently. "Don't just stand there, grow a pair will ya? I can see your vagina from here."

"Telly is all set up including the surround system and all."

"Good boy, now you have time go to Denny's to get us some breakfast. Bring me a lumberjack slam with a waffle instead of pancakes and an oatmeal breakfast." He looked at Kozik who mouthed 'Oatmeal' and gave him a questioning look. "Don't think I can outlive one more of her health talks. I just can't lie to her, so I figured if she asks now I can say I ordered the oatmeal for breakfast and leave it at that."

The kid nodded his head and looked at Kozik and Happy to hear their orders. Brian gave the kid some of the money that he just got from Kozik as a payment for the TV and handed him the keys to the van.

"When's the boss coming back?" Kozik asked.

"Not too sure mate, things are looking up. We are accepted in a tender process with the big house in Stockton, expecting a one day a week contract to come out of it cleaning the infirmary and the shu. Probably will start off with a trial period for three months, we're just waiting in on the call."

A cold chill rolled over Happy's back. He couldn't think of anyone going there by their own free will.

Brian sighed and moved his big calloused hand over the back of his head and rubbed his face. "Yeah, things are really looking up." The words just didn't sound as convincing as he had meant to. "It won't be the same though, you know what I mean?"

Kozik knew exactly what his friend was saying. Like the club and his brothers were there for him when everyone else had taken their hands off, Brian had been offered a job at a cleaning company when he needed it the most. The young woman had put her faith in him when everyone else had given up. Kozik had only seen her once or twice when he had gone to the office to see Brian and on those occasions she had kept herself to herself but he knew that Brian thought highly of her. If needed he would stop by and check up on her when he was down in Charming. "Don't worry. Let's face it, if you can make it in Tacoma you can make it anywhere."

"True that." Brian said with a laugh.

-=SOA=-

Carmen was absentmindedly spinning the library globe that stood on a small desk in her father's living room. She abruptly stopped its rotating by pointing her finger randomly on a spot before spinning it again.

"That is a real _Willem Janszoon Blaeu_ that you are playing with."

Carmen looked over her shoulder raising an eyebrow. "And?"

"It's antique." Bachman elaborated.

"Right," Carmen rolled her eyes. "A prehistoric Google Earth."

"It's estimated at eighty thousand dollars on auction."

Carmen retracted her finger as if she just got burned. "You're shitting me right?"

"You should learn to value things by what they represent and not by what they appear to be on the surface or what the price tag says."

Richard Bachman opened a bottle of wine and filled two glasses. "You still not told me what you are doing here."

"I know." Carmen twirled the wine in her glass to release the bouquet and sniffed. "Nice."

Bachman sat down in the recliner and gave his daughter a stern look. "Are you in trouble?" He looked at her flat stomach but the line of vision wasn't lost on his daughter.

"Dad? I am not pregnant if that's what you are thinking."

"Then why are you here?"

Carmen sighed. She never was much of a talker and didn't feel like explaining it all. "I'm looking into setting up another office. Oakland, Stockton, Bay area or San Joaquin, don't know yet. Need to reel in a steady flow of work first, get known in the area and set up a network. Just getting my feelers out to decide where I want to land. I have some appointments set with some local PD's and I am waiting for the big house in Stockton to get back to me."

Richard Bachman held his glass up to let the sunlight hit it before judging the color of the wine. With a slight nod of approval to himself he brought the glass to his lips, took a healthy swig and let the liquid roll over his tongue. If Carmen didn't know any better she would think that her father was anything but interested in what she had to tell and she was tempted to leave it at that.

"Pulling teeth is easier than talking to you." He commented on her silence.

"There really isn't much to tell dad, with the new rules and regulations all bodily fluids are considered hazardous, regular cleaners aren't allowed to clean inside the penitentiary without the right permits. I am hoping that I can get a share of the work in Stockton State Prison. I got some recommendations so I have a good chance if I manage to get in. It's a start, I don't mind cleaning the spit from a police vehicle or clean a jail cell if that means they will start calling me in for the crime scenes and road accidents too. If I can get the deal, I will settle down in the area and get in with the morgues, visit the hospitals and such, make sure they know who to contact in cases of attempted suicides and unattended deaths."

"Tacoma not big enough?"

"It's too big really. _Rainbow International_ is my biggest competition, they have expended and are pushing me further down south. They have the majority of Portland, Tacoma and Seattle with a franchising chain. I looked into doing the same or expending but it's not my thing. We are too small to really stay competitive and I am left with the scrapes and left overs."

Richard Bachman nodded. It made sense that his daughter didn't want to expend her business. She was a generous person and had the ability to attract people around her, just like her mother. His wife used to light up a room when she entered and people loved being around her, but Carmen wasn't that fond of the attention and was rather solitary at heart, something that came with his share of the DNA. Her self-sufficiency and independent character didn't make her feel the need to bond to people around her either. "So you are looking for a smaller territory, but big enough for you to be able to focus on just the road accidents, shoot outs and deaths. What about Tacoma?"

"We have redirected the main focus on carpet cleaning, flood and fire damage. Brian loves the grind work involved. He hates the call outs at nights and only did them so we wouldn't vanish of the map completely."

"Any money in that?"

"It's quite lucrative to be honest, we employed a few more people and at the moment we still have more jobs than we can handle."

"That's good." He wouldn't deny it, he was proud of his daughter. "Are there enough funds for you to go MIA?"

Carmen felt the blood rush to her cheeks and knew she was blushing. She and Brian had a heart to heart one night and went over the finances. She didn't like to say it out loud, but if she didn't go crazy and the business stayed like it was, there was enough money on the books to sing it out comfortably.

"_You are responsible for your own happiness chick. Fuck knows what you get out of scraping pieces of skull of the pavements, dealing with blood soaked carpets and the stench of death but I know that's what you like doing. This fire and flood business will keep us comfortably floating and I love doing it. Let me pull the weight for a while."_

_She had smiled at him, she hated the fact to be reliant on him while she ventured out to set up a new business but he had taught her that in a friendship it was give and take. She didn't mind the giving but the taking was something that she wasn't comfortable with. Brian had asked her to let him do this for her, explained to her that he wanted to give back what she had given to him and that it would make him feel better. He worked hard to convince her that she wasn't accepting his help but that she was doing this for him, making him feel good by allowing him to 'help' her. She had told him he was full of shit but agreed anyways. _

"Yeah, I am not saying I can lean back and do whatever the fuck I want but I should stay afloat. We do the inspections for the insurance companies and list the items that are lost or damaged in the floods and fires before we start the clean-up. We dry the properties ourselves and if needed we supervise the construction, carpeting and other stuff that's done by our own contractors. We get a good cut on hiring them for the jobs. We make a little money on the side from the supposedly damaged goods that are written off and make their way back to our warehouse where we sell them off underhandedly."

"That's fraud."

"Technically you are probably right. I prefer to call it the freedom of conducting business and maybe a little naughty." Carmen leaned back in her chair and looked her father straight in the eyes ready to challenge him.

Bachman stared back at his daughter clearly unhappy with the newly inquired knowledge. "You …"

She narrowed her eyes at him and held her hand up not willing to listen to a lecture about work ethics. She knew her father was worried about her but wasn't that the pot calling the kettle black? "Nothing is just black or white dad, you of all people should know what the shades of grey keep covered. I have a good crew up there and Brian is more than capable to oversee the business while I focus on finding myself a spot where I can do crime scenes. I want to do this, I won't be happy doing just fires and floods."

"I .. " He stopped rethinking of what he wanted to say. She was playing with fire being so involved with Police Departments while working with the same insurance companies that she stole from. He didn't care how she called it, it was still fraud and he didn't know what he hated more, his girl scheming or his girl out on the streets at night left to clean up a crime scene. He sighed. "You be careful out there."

Carmen got up and walked to her dad wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a kiss on his cheek. "And you dad. It's not like you got a nine to five office job either."

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know it was a bit Carmen-informative but I hope you still liked it. I just couldn't have her van break down in Charming so she would wind up at Happy's doorstep. Next chapter Happy will come across another 'white van' ;-)**

**Reviews make me smile, so don't be shy!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Big thank you to all of you who read the story so far and especially to those who reviewed, you really make me smile! There is a little author's note at the end, so will keep it short. Enjoy!**

Carmen had made herself as comfortable as possible stuffing the pillows behind her back resting against the headboard of her queen-sized bed in the small hotel room in Lodi.  
>She felt content that was the best way to describe how she was feeling inside. She wasn't one to overflow with joy or happiness that just wasn't like her. She sucked in a deep breath of air before exhaling, trying to release the tension that she felt in her chest. This feeling of content was something that she hadn't felt for a long time and it was equally as thrilling as it was unnerving.<p>

She had pulled it off, she never doubted her own capabilities but she wasn't overly confident either and she didn't count herself rich until the ink of the signatures underneath the contract was dry and permanent. Stockton State Prison had indeed offered her a one day a week contract with the expected trial period of three months.  
>Today had been her second day in the prison and she had successfully battled through the hassle of getting to know her new workplace. She had encountered some of the inmates and she was sure her presence had spread through the compound like a wildfire. The comments and hollers that the men had cried out at her had been downright intimidating but hadn't scare her. They did however put her senses on high alert making the job more mentally straining than physical.<br>The Sheriff had asked her to join him for lunch, he had felt obligated to help her get footing in the area after being initially reluctant of bringing her in and he had set her up with some of his contacts.

Lodi seemed to be a good place to set up camp for the time being. Carmen wanted to explore her options in the city and the area around Stockton. With her laptop on her lap and a little notebook next to her she was trying to gather as much information as she possibly could.  
>Looking for characteristics of the area, she smiled when she read about the annual 'Wine and Chocolate - Weekend' coming up in Lodi. About forty wineries in the Lodi appellation would open their doors to welcome visitors to enjoy the delicious local handcrafted wines and decadent chocolates. If she was staying in the area she might as well get out there and make a life for herself, one that consisted out of more than just work. Maybe meet some new people … She shook her head dismissing the thought and entered another query in the Google search engine.<p>

-=SOA=-

Brian was sitting at the bar of the Tacoma clubhouse nursing a beer after he had closed up the office for the day. He had been frequenting the place for roughly two to three years and he got along with most of the patched members and the regular hang arounds. Brian wasn't the type to look for trouble but he never backed down from it either. His size had provoked many men in the past just to see if they could take him on which had landed him in hard concrete prison cells more often than not. Brian felt accepted in the tight knit group of bikers and their regular entourage without being one of them.

"Brian." Kozik walked up to the muscular giant sitting at the bar and placed an arm around his back and clapped his shoulder in a way of a friendly greeting before taking the seat next to him. "How's the business going brother?"

Brian was confused by the question asked but answered none the less. "Can't complain."

"I need a favor."

-=SOA=-

Carmen was brought out of her thoughts by the persistent blaring of her phone. She looked at the caller ID before answering. "mmmhmmm."

"Is that you stuffing your face again? What you having?" She heard a voice thunder through the receiver. Carmen quickly swallowed to empty her mouth before speaking. "I am having green and yellow peppers, mushrooms, tomato, little bit of ham and some bread."

"Sounds healthy enough," Brian responded. "So you are having pizza then eh?"

She grinned and looked at the greasy puddle on the carton delivery box. "You caught me red handed, what did you have?"

Brian dismissed her question. "That's not what I am calling for. Listen, I need a favor."

After bringing each other up to speed with recent events in Tacoma and San Joaquin Valley they said their goodbyes and Carmen went back to her laptop preparing for her meeting the next day with Chief Unser in a modest town called Charming.

The town was relatively crime free, which in itself appealed to Carmen. She didn't need to live in a high crime rated town per se. It would guarantee more crime scenes but then the chances were that things would turn out the same way as they had in Tacoma. Charming had a highly regarded hospital which was always a plus in her line of work and it was located near Interstate 5 which should provide her with the occasional accident or two.  
>It was close enough near Stockton, Oakland was only an hour and a half drive away and Lodi was on spitting distance. Yeah, all in all Charming ticked all the boxes of being an A location for setting up a Crime Scene and Trauma Cleaning Company.<p>

-=SOA=-

There was a short knock on the door of the small office before it opened. Carmen and Chief Unser both turned and saw how a uniformed officer poked his head around to the door. His eyes briefly fell on Carmen before he addressed his superior. "A call came in reporting a possible 'one eight seven' at Krauszer's."

Chief Unser's hand ran shakily over his head smoothing back the few thin dark grey hairs on his head. His attention was directed at the officer that still stood waiting in the doorway. "Who do we have out there?"

"Green and Miller responded and are on scene now." The uniform answered.

Carmen watched as Chief Unser got on his feet, the worry evident on his face. She immediately set up straight ready to respond but kept seated and met Chief Unser's eyes. He looked at her and she saw him assess the businesslike attire that she had so carefully put together this morning. "Got a suit in the van." She quickly spoke out.

Chief Unser walked to the door and hunched forward a little when he held the door open for her. Carmen quickly rushed to her feet and went through the door first. "Today is as good as any." He mumbled.

Carmen had to hide her smile, a possible homicide generally was nothing to get cheerful over but for Carmen there was no better way that she could think of to back up her most recent sales pitch.

-=SOA=-

As a secondary responder it was really time consuming to be on a crime scene when the investigations were still on going. The body hadn't even been removed from the scene yet but was still lying lifeless on the concrete pavement in front of Krauszer's. The little convenience store slash Post Office Agency was closed up and the blinds were drawn down. Every so often she saw one of the blinds move and a pair of eyes looking through the window. Carmen had followed Chief Unser right up to the yellow tape that was set up generously around a lifeless body that just didn't seem to be able to stop from bleeding out. 'Definitely no chest wound' Carmen thought to herself. Chest wounds never bled that much because of the lungs sucking the blood in, this looked more like a destructive and fatal head shot. A natural reaction of the body to a failing control room is to send more blood and oxygen towards it in the hopes that it will start telling the rest of the body once again what to do next. In this case, the brain wouldn't be telling anything anymore simply because it was sprawled out on the pavement.

Carmen knew it could easily take up a couple of hours before she finally could come into action. Since there was nothing she could do until everyone cleared the scene she went back to wait inside her van with the air conditioning running softly and the music playing at a considering low volume. Carmen always liked watching people, just by observing their body language you could tell a great deal about them.  
>Her eyes followed the Chief, the man had easily reached the State's pension age but didn't look like he was retiring at all even though it might do him good. He appeared a little out of sorts, rubbing his hand over his head and face a lot and shaking it to himself as if he was in deep thoughts.<br>The sound of motorcycles pulling up made her sit up right. When one of the bikers walked up to the crime scene she had a clear view on his patch, blue and white lettering that she couldn't read over this distance but with what she could make out of the center patch it looked familiar.  
>Carmen quickly ran through all the MC patches that were stored inside her head and came up with Brian. It was the same colors that one of Brian's biker buddy's was flying in Tacoma. Carmen stared deep in thought and snapped her fingers to trigger her brain to come up with the name.<p>

-=SOA=-

Clay held up the yellow tape as the Chief ducked underneath it. "What is this Wayne?" Clay asked as he shook hands with the old friend of the club.

"It's little Jenny Reeve. Krauszer saw the whole thing, he is pretty shook up about it. Dark car drove passed and opened fire. Girl stood no chance, clean shot in the head."

"Quite a brutal thing in the middle of the day with so people on the streets." Clay spoke matter of factly.

Unser nodded. "Shit like this doesn't happen in Charming Clay." The words were caked with worry but also held a hint of warning and accusation to them.

Clay's blue piercing eyes met Unser's giving off a silent warning to the Police Chief to be more mindful about the tone of his voice before he looked over his shoulder and watched how the coroner prepped the body to be taken away from the crime scene. "It just did."

Several curious people had made their way towards the town's Post Office to come see what was going on. They cluttered in little groups and everyone seemed to know better what happened and who was responsible for the brutal act of violence. Clay looked at them and there was no doubt in his mind that half of the town's 'know it all's' had already decided that the Sons of Anarchy must have been involved.

His eyes landed on the white van parked up in the shadow of some trees on the side of the tiny parking. "Someone's watching."

Unser followed Clay's line of vision. "Clean up. Gift send from heaven, was just talking to her when the call came in."

Clay looked sideways and raised his eyebrows telling Unser without words to keep talking and focused back at the van.

"Stockton Sherriff wanted me to meet her. She wants to set up a business in the area and he wants to help her out. Said that she could take a lot of work out of my hands."

"Doing what?"

"Cleaning up a mess like this." Unser waved over his shoulder to the scene behind them. "With the new rules and all, none of my officers will get their hands dirty on cleaning up trauma scenes and the bloody union backs them up." He went into the front pocket of his uniform and got a little card out before handing it to Clay.

Clay's eyes dropped, it was a business card. _Crime and Trauma Cleanup Services – Tacoma. _A Tacoma address and phone number was printed underneath. He turned the card over and in a neat handwriting it said _Carmen Bachman _with a cellphone number. Clay gave the card back to Unser and walked off into the direction of the van.

"Clay!" Unser shouted after him. "Don't chase her away." _At least not before this blood is cleaned of the pavement._ He added as an afterthought.

-=SOA=-

_Sons of Anarchy. _That was it, the words read loud and clear on the patch of the biker that was coming closer and closer to her van. He walked in a straight line up her driver's door. She offered him a confident smile through the side window regardless the rapid beating of her heart. She wasn't sure why this biker made her feel uncomfortable and guarded.  
>She opened the door and jumped from her seat. The man in front of her was about the same age as her father but the years on the road and his no doubt life experience added character to his dominant presence.<br>He held his hand out for her to shake it. A big calloused hand that showed the wear and tear of a hard life. "Clay Morrow."

"Carmen Bachman." She said with a polite bow of her head reading the patches on his cut, _President, First 9, Redwood Original_. This wasn't just a biker like her dad, this was a President of an Outlaw Motorcycle Club.

"Pleasure is al mine, Miss …" Clay paused and gave her a thoughtful once over. "or is it Missus Bachman?" He asked adding a little charm to his question.

"I prefer Carmen if you don't mind Mister Morrow."

"Only if you call me Clay." She nodded again. "The Chief over there tells me you are thinking about setting up a business in the area?"

"I presume he has told you what business I am in?" It was Clay's turn to nod this time. "The Chief is right, I own a business up in Tacoma and I recently traveled down to California to explore my options." She didn't say more than what was minimally required to still be considered polite. Not wanting to be questioned she decided to ask the questions in return. "I heard the victim is a young girl? Do you know her personally?"

"I make it my business to know everyone in this town personally." Clay answered without giving a distinct answer to her question.

Carmen shuddered at his words and prayed that it wasn't too obvious. "I see."

She was sure that she saw a smug grin on Clay's face before he looked straight passed her. "I think it is your time Carmen _Bachman._"

She turned her head and looked over her shoulder to see Chief Unser wave in their direction. "I suppose you are right _Clay._"

**I suppose the bald tattooed biker had no interest as of yet to make his appearance, but he can't stay away any longer. I had to end the chapter here, wouldn't be right otherwise. I am content about the way I got Carmen into Charming, biggest hurdle is jumped now.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, thank you for reading and I love to hear your thoughts. So please take a moment review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**FanFinction has been in a funk last week, not letting me login or review but most of all it wouldn't let me upload this chapter but here it is, finally! Big thank you for the reviews on the last chapter and to all of you who are reading my story. Hope it was worth the wait and that you will enjoy!**

It was show time. This was her one chance to fight and kill off all prejudice about a woman in the business and she knew it. It was the same battle that she had fought so many times in the past when she had first started her business. Maneuvering around in a mostly male dominated work environment with mainly male investigators, ambulance drivers, coroners, vehicle recovery truck drivers, she always had to prove herself and work harder than her male competitors in the trade.  
>Like the Stockton Sheriff had been reluctant to give her the job and only granted her one day a week -instead of the three days that she had originally bargained for- many men were opinionated about a woman actively working the trade. Even when they didn't have an opinion about it, they sure as hell had something to say about it. It was fine for a woman to do the books or even own a company on paper but when it came to the gore of the job she always had to work hard and stand tall to earn their respect.<p>

Carmen opened the side door of the van and grabbed a onetime use non porous suit. The black skinny jeans and the red high heeled pumps that she had been wearing to meet with Chief Unser weren't made for scrubbing concrete.  
>She decided that she didn't need to fully suit up with the high spill boots and all that but she definitely wanted to give off some professionalism. Stepping into the legs of the white coverall she kicked of her heels to change them for the low cut Muck boots that were ever present in the back of her van. She shrugged out of her jacket and tied the sleeves of the one-piece around her waist. The outfit was anything but flattering but working with blood and humanly fluids, safety came before beauty.<p>

"I got it from here." Carmen spoke confidently. "You can stay and view my work if you like and I will be happy to explain to you what I am doing but I can fully understand if you need to be somewhere else. I can give you a call or report back at the station when I am done here, whatever suits you best."

"Is there anything you need?" Chief Unser asked the young woman standing in front of him. She was friendly in a businesslike manner.

Carmen waited a few moments before answering as if she was really thinking. "No thank you. I got all I need in the van however I would appreciate it if you left the barrier tape." She smiled. "It helps to keep curious bystanders at a safe distance."

The Chief nodded with understanding and looked around as if the answer to the question of what to do next would magically appear to him. Carmen looked back at the group of four leather clad bikers that was still lingering at the scene. Her eyes trained on one of them, there was no doubt in her mind that she had seen him before. His appearance was hard to mistake for anyone else.

-=SOA=-

"Shit, that's her." Juice nearly choked out when he had a clear visual on Carmen.

"That's who?"Tig looked up from Juice towards the woman that was standing next to Chief Unser.

"The Bachman chick, you think she recognizes me?"

Chibs couldn't suppress a laugh. "Nah Juicey." He shook his head, the permanent grin on his face curling up even more on cheeks. "I doubt it brother, I am sure the lass knows plenty of men with a haircut like yours."

Clay rolled his eyes at the pair and mounted his bike, sitting down comfortably before lighting his cigar. He watched the burning end of it intently as he rotated the cigar to make sure it burned evenly before drawing a few short puffs to really get it going. His eyes went back to the young lady that now was carrying supplies to the spot where the body of Jenny Reeve had laid.

Juice ran a hand over his shortly cropped Mohawk. "Want me to check her out when we get back?"

Clay turned his head, slightly annoyed that he was brought out of his thoughts. "And find out what? Her shoe size? Favorite color? If Bachman brought her on a job she checks out."

Tig couldn't help but question himself what Bachman had to offer to land a woman nearly half his age. It had to be either money or a big dick perhaps even both. She was definitely a looker even with that ridiculous white jumpsuit on he could still make out the outlines of her well-proportioned body. She didn't look like one of those skinny bitches that bruise and break when they get a little manhandled. She had a healthy amount of meat on her without being fat and he had no problems envisioning his hands cupping that firm little ass of hers.

Clay looked at his Sergeant at Arms and a mischievous grin appeared on his face when he saw Tig holding out his hands in front of him and flexing his fingers as if he was dry testing the feel of that cute body in front of them. "Get a grip on those thoughts rather than that ass Tigger. Unless you want to be bubbling away in an acid bath and be identified by your teeth."

"Right let's head back to the clubhouse. This just might work in our favor." Three out of four bikes started up and made their way back to Teller Morrow. One biker stayed behind on the president's orders to see where the young lady was heading after she cleaned up the bloody mess in front of Krauzer's.

-=SOA=-

Richard Bachman stood in shock staring at his phone and needed to sit down. Very rarely a feeling of longing pained his chest when he thought about his first and only love and that was exactly what hit him when Clay's unexpected phone call had thrown him thirty years back in time.  
>The national president of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club had phoned to inform him that his 'old lady' was spotted roaming though the streets of Charming.<br>His mind had known it couldn't have been her, there was no physical way that she could have showed up in San Joaquin Valley - or anywhere else for that matter - but for a split second his heart had thought or wanted it to be true.  
>As quick as that old memory had come to life it was buried safely back into its grave again. His mind had taken control over his heart and he had listened carefully to Clay's words. The president didn't say much, tactically waiting it out for Bachman to speak but Bachman wasn't a man of words either and frankly he had still been speechless.<br>His Carmen had struck up Charming and Bachman didn't know how he'd feel about that. With a heavy sigh he pressed the buttons on his cellphone and waited for his daughter to answer his call.

It went straight to voicemail.

-=SOA=-

Temperatures were dropping rapidly once the afternoon sun was setting, the winter hadn't been half bad and compared to the ones in Tacoma it had been like a walk in the park so far.

A gnawing feeling in his stomach made Happy contemplate if he should pull over at the mom and pop diner or just open up the throttle and speed it up back to Charming to have one of the sweetbutts at the clubhouse fix him a plate. Having a craving for a warm home cooked meal he pulled over at the mom and pop diner in a small town neighboring Charming. He frequented the place regularly and the owners knew to give him his space. They never bothered him by asking unnecessary questions like if everything was fine and if he needed anything else. If he wanted something he would ask for it, simple. Entering the parking he spotted a black cut absent of both the center patch and the top rocker but the bottom one read _prospect _in blue on white letters. Happy came to a stop in front of the prospect and gave him a stare up nodding his head.

The young Redwood prospect looked at the notorious full-fledged member and tried to keep his composure. The bald biker was one of the club's members whose presence only was enough to play with his nerves. He cleared his throat before speaking. "She's still in there brother."

Happy inwardly crunched at the word 'brother' until the guy had earned his top rocker and the center piece graced his cut the man in front of him was anything but his brother. "Who?"

The prospect tried to down play it hoping to earn some 'cool dude points' from the club's enforcer but the fiddling with his lighter gave the poor soul away. "Some chick. Don't know man, Clay told me to follow her and see where she is going."

Happy quickly scanned the parking lot. "Get lost." He swung his leg over his bike and pulled on the fingers of his leather gloves taking them off.

"But Clay …" Happy tilted his head silently asking the prospect if he really wanted to finish that sentence and surprisingly he did. "What do I tell Clay? He told me not to come back without knowing where she was staying." The prospect wasn't looking forward to returning to the clubhouse without the required Intel but he knew better than to stand up against a member's direct orders.

"Then don't come back." Happy said dry eyed and shrugged indifferently. The corners of his mouth gave away the grin on his face when he turned his back on the prospect and walked towards the diner - even Davey had more hair on his balls.

The ringing of the doorbell announced his arrival when he opened the door. Being it so early there weren't many people inside contradicting the amount of vehicles outside in the parking. A lot of commuters used the big parking of the mom and pop diner as a carpool place to travel together to and from work in the bigger cities to reduce the traveling costs. The diner mostly ran on take outs, people stopped in before work to grab a coffee or breakfast on-the-go and after work to pick up a polyfoam container that kept their food warm until they get back to their homes in the suburbs.  
>There were only two booths and three small tables for customers to sit down that were mainly used by people waiting while their food was being prepared.<br>Happy never had troubles finding a spot to sit down, if his presence didn't clear out a booth or made people sitting at a table scramble up to their feet, Audrey would pull out a chair from the office and make him a makeshift table in the corner of the diner. It's what made this _his _diner, he had never seen her do that for anyone else but him. She didn't give him a special treatment because of the cut on his back or the ink on his skin, she didn't judge him for what he was but for who he was. She reminded him of his mother, which was one of the reasons why he liked coming here.

The tables were vacant and only the far corner booth was occupied by _her. _His eyes diverted to Audrey who gave him a wave and rubbed her hand over her stomach up nodding her unspoken question. Happy nodded, both a greeting and confirmation that indeed he came for a meal. She disappeared into the kitchen and Happy made his way to the booth.

Sliding in across _her _she looked up at him for a brief moment. He could almost see the cogs turn in her head, registering his presence before recognizing him and just like that she ignored him. No visible sign of recognition, she just accepted that he sat across her and went back to minding her own business. Even if she hadn't recognized him – which he found hard to believe – she didn't even look surprised that he occupied the seat across her when the rest of the diner was empty.

"You alright love?" Audrey's voice sang next to him.

Carmen looked up and smiled at the elderly woman. "I am fine Audrey, thank you."

Audrey smiled back at her customer before sending a spine chilling shot at Happy warning him to be kind. "I just checked on your dinner love, it will be ready in a few minutes."

"I am looking forward to it."

"If you need anything I will be right there." Audrey waved towards the kitchen area. "Just give me a shout and I will be right out." She turned towards Happy her eyes meeting his trying to engage him in a silent conversation. "Fixing you up something to eat son, you want a beer to wash it down with?"

Happy nodded and Audrey made her way towards the kitchen.

He answered Carmen's open - almost inviting - expression on her face with his signature blank stare. She held his eyes for a moment searching for the contact that didn't extend further than the mutual stare down. She broke it off and he noticed the slight movement in her shoulders as if she dismissed him before returning her attention back to the papers in front of her.  
>She didn't look unnerved by his presence or seemed uncomfortable with his silence and it didn't even look as if she was actively trying to ignore him either. She was just sitting there … minding her own business as if he wasn't even there.<p>

It was equally infuriating as it was intriguing that she ignored him. She didn't respond like most women in her position would. He was used to females cowering away from him or trying to show off their assets to get in his graces depending on their own individual levels of craziness. Not this one, this one just sat there with that annoying pen of hers clamped between her teeth. Happy leant back against the backrest of the booth, both hands on the table his forearms resting on the surface … watching her.

-=SOA=-

"You two on a date or something?" Audrey asked casually when she served both Carmen and Happy their meals. She had been stealing glances at the couple from out the kitchen and couldn't make out their connection. She knew she pushed her boundaries with that question but it was so uncharacteristic for the biker to seek out company that she had to try.

Carmen showed her pearly whites as she smiled back at Audrey before locking eyes with Happy. "I know things can happen quickly these days but I don't even know his name and even though I am not a prude, that's even too fast for me to call it a date Audrey."

Happy heard her words loud and clear but the message in her eyes was stronger than any spoken word. She locked onto his gaze and challenged him to make the next move, any move.

Happy pulled his plate closer. "Thank you Aud, looks good." His voice was low and gravelly and ignoring _her_ was the perfect response to meet her challenge.

Audrey rolled her eyes at Happy drawing a soft giggle out of Carmen. "Looks lovely indeed Audrey. If _I_ need anything I will let you know."

There it was, she did it again she deliberately ignored him. When Carmen reached over the table for the salt his hand shot out and clasped around her wrist applying enough pressure to know that she could feel it, really feel it and that she couldn't ignore him any further.

Instead of pulling back he felt the muscles in her arm relax, giving into his hold. He snorted with contempt at her for giving up so easily but he knew she wasn't stupid of that he was certain. Any other bitch would have pulled back or let out a scream and with that she would have acknowledged the power he had over her. Not this one, this one _knew_ she was dependent on him to release her and didn't want to empower him by making it visible.

He released her wrist and salted his food before putting the salt in the center of the table. He watched as she confidently reached for it but this time she kept her eyes on his hand.

They both had finished their plates and waited for Audrey to come and collect them. "So now what?" Her words startled him, she hadn't spoken one word during dinner. "If you are planning on following me, I can save you the trouble and just tell you where I am staying."

He leant back and stared at her and there it was, the unmistakable sigh of frustration coming from her chest. Her eyes shot up at his and he knew she knew it too, she had lost the game they hadn't been playing. Her frustration got the better of her and he saw the anger building in her eyes.

"Whatever." She sunk back in her seat. "What do you want from me?"

Her voice sounded agitated and her physical presence looked defeated. She gave up and submitted to him, she didn't even try to hide it anymore. _Good girl._

"What are you doing here and where are you staying?"

She opened her purse, took out a business card and started to write something on the back of it.

"I am sure you know who I am since you didn't ask me for my name but for the record; I am Carmen Bachman. I am exploring the area to set up another business, conveniently had a job today in Charming and had the pleasure to meet with your President." She gathered her papers from the table and stuffed them in her bag. She got up and pulled her long dark wavy hair forward over her shoulder. "This is my business card, the name of the hotel I am staying at is on the back so is my cellphone number and I am staying in room twenty three." She leaned down closer but kept her hands away from his reach not falling for the same trick twice. "Call me if you want to take me on a _date_." Her words caked with sarcasm.

She turned on her heels and he watched her walk to the counter convinced that she added a little more sway in her hips then she would normally. When she paid for her meal she walked towards the door, a little faster than her pace would naturally be. He played with the business card between his fingers as she gave him a last look before she went out the door.

Happy waved at Audrey for another beer. He felt _content. _No woman was indifferent towards him, not even this one.

**Thank you for reading, please review. I like to know what you think :-)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you all again for the continuing support on this story. I really appreciate it and reading the reviews is really awesome! Hope you will enjoy this chapter! **

"You really want to look into something than start looking into what the hell happened in my town." Clay's words put an end to any speculations regarding Carmen Bachman. The chick wasn't in his town for longer than one day and she was already starting to get on his nerves. She wasn't a threat to his club, Clay had enough history with Bachman to know that having her around wasn't a real reason for concern but she was trouble none the less. The few encounters his men had with Carmen had them distracted from what they really needed to focus on and he was getting sick of it but he would deal with her later one way or the other but preferably in a way that would revenue his club.

"I don't give a shit who did it or what the little bitch got herself into this time but a drive by shooting in broad daylight is disrespectful to this town and to our club." Clay's words echoed through the separated room in the clubhouse where the members of the Sons of Anarchy held church.

"What have we got?" Jax asked and looked around the Redwood table.

"Black car, didn't even slow down. Jenny caught four or five rounds in the head and chest. Seems like a deliberate hit."

Clay puffed on his cigar. "What the hell was she into these days?"

"She hasn't been around town for a few months, left Charming to make something out of her life. No idea why she was even back here."

"Well about goddamn time we _do_ know don't we?" Clay snarled before giving out the orders.

"Jax, I need you to come with me."

Jax raised his eyebrows at Clay. "What for?"

"Groundwork. We're gonna see Elliott. "

Tig overheard the conversation and up nodded Jax asking what this side trip was about. Jax shook his head as he followed Clay outside not knowing what his stepfather was up to.

-=SOA=-

"Come here boss." Brian opened his arms to welcome Carmen in one of his bear hugs. He pushed her out of his embrace to get a good look at her. "Your hair got longer." He said as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Carmen mumbled a couple of incoherent words before she turned around and randomly grabbed a couple of papers of the office desk. "How are things around here?"

Brian narrowed his eyes at her and couldn't help but grin. She had been all bubbly on the phone about coming back up to Tacoma but now that she was here she didn't know how to handle herself. He knew that things slowly but surely were picking up in California but she hadn't found her place yet. "Lot less bitching going on since you left."

Brian ducked to avoid getting hit by an old newspaper that Carmen threw his way. "Good thing I am back then, can't have you slacking off at work."

He watched her smile, he loved seeing her smile. "Good to have you back boss. Wanna head out and grab something to eat?"

Carmen looked at the clock above the door. "Any excuse to close up early right?"

Brian winked at her and filed away the papers he had been working on. "You know me too well. Seriously, I put Beany on call so you and I have some time."

Carmen put her scarf around her neck and shrugged into her jacket before zipping it up. "Chez Nous. You pay."

Of all the restaurants in town Brian really didn't like Chez Nous. It was as pretentious as it was expensive and that was exactly the type of crowd they pulled. Brian shook his head and followed her outside. "What the hell did I do to deserve you?"

Opening the door Carmen looked over her shoulder with a smug grin on her face. "I am the punishment of God ... if you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you."

Brian gave Carmen a worried look. She always had the craziest come backs. "I don't believe in God."

"My point exactly."

-=SOA=-

Carmen had stayed in the little apartment above the office for the last two nights. She had been going over the books and even though she hated to admit it Brian had done more than a great job without her. With a heavy sigh she shut the files and documents that she had been going over and leaned back in her chair. She had made a home for herself here in Tacoma, it might not have been much but she didn't realize how much she had missed it until she came back to it. It was evident that Brian didn't need her here and in a way it made her feel homeless. She couldn't stay here any longer anyways, Tuesday she had to be back in Stockton and being out of state didn't really help her network campaign or responding to the potential jobs coming her way. Not that there had been one phone call but still it wouldn't help.

She turned at the door after she heard a soft knock. Brian walked in and sat down onto the chair on the other side of the desk. He planted his feet firmly on the desk and leant back balancing the chair on its two back legs. She quickly sat up to get the papers from underneath his boots before they would get all dirty and crinkled.  
>She never thought that she would ever let herself depend on a man again but she had and she felt comfortable knowing that he was there for her to lean on. Brian had grown to be her rock over the last couple of years. He had been loyal to a fault and every time when life had seemed nothing but an uphill struggle he had given her his support and boosted her confidence.<p>

"When are you leaving?"

"Tonight. No traffic, can make good time. Hit Lodi somewhere in the morning."

"You still staying in that hotel?"

She nodded.

"You got to find a place Carmen."

She nodded again. He was right, she needed a place to call home. She didn't mind being alone but she needed a place of her own. People didn't matter to her much, well her dad did but after their last phone call she didn't expect to hear a lot more of him for a while. He had called her in full on 'daddy'-mode telling her not to get involved with the Sons of Anarchy. They would drag her into their scheming business, chew her up and spit her out when she had served her purpose. He talked to her as if she had been a teenage girl hanging out with the bad boys in college. She was smarter than that, she was thirty five and very capable of making her own decisions. She didn't understand what his problem was. They weren't the law abiding motorcycle enthusiasts that they wanted everyone to believe but she knew that. Did he forget that she was there to clean up their mess? She had seen it first hand and she wasn't as stupid as her father obviously thought she was. He had made the hairs on her neck stand up when he warned her with that condescending tone in his voice to stay away from them. The only thing she regretted was that she hadn't been able to be the adult out of the two of them, so when he told her for the fifth time to steer clear of Charming she had thrown another log on the fire to make sure it would really keep on burning by telling him that she had been on a date with one of them. He demanded to know with which one and started rambling of all sort of names and accusations in a fury. Her dad generally was a quiet and reserved person, hard to read but he had a violent streak to him that sometimes raised its ugly head. She had feared that side of him when she was little but as an adult she knew he just needed to get it out of his system to return to his unusual self. She was just sick of listening to him and hung up on him, besides she didn't even have a name to give him.

"You alright?"

Brian's words pulled her out of her reverie. "Yeah. Lot on my mind."

"Thought I'd lost ya there for a moment. You know I am here for you right? You don't need to leave and know that you always have a place to come home to."

Carmen laughed. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you'd miss me."

She watched as Brian got of his chair a lot quicker than you would expect of anyone with his size and build. She leaned back a little when he came right up to her face and hooked a finger under her chin lifting it up so she had to meet his eyes. "Not joking boss, you don't need to prove anything to anyone."

-=SOA=-

Clay put his phone back in his pocket and turned around. "That was Gemma on the phone."

Tig looked up immediately. "She alright Clay?"

"Yeah she's fine but one of you shitheads couldn't keep his dick in his pants." He stared around and was met with several frowning faces. "Tell me which one of you couldn't stay away from Bachman's old lady?"

Heads turned into Tig's direction who held his hands up in innocence. "Not me. Honestly Clay, I had some pretty vivid dreams about her but unless I've been sleepwalking I didn't come near the bitch. It had to be Juice, he can't shut up about her."

"Lying whore." Happy spat out under his breath loud enough to get the rest's attention.

"You gotta be shitting me … you Hap?" Clay tilted his head in disbelieve. He knew that his go to man had a lust for danger but this was taking it up a notch.

"I didn't touch her." _Well not like that anyways. _He thought as an afterthought but quickly decided not to mention it out loud. "Bitch got her panties in a twist, stormed off and made me pay for her dinner." He remembered it as if it was only yesterday. He had watched her hurry out of the diner with a smug feeling of content running through his body. He drank another beer before going back to the clubhouse and asked Audrey for the bill. When she brought the bill Audrey had said Carmen had asked her to thank him again for a lovely dinner and that she had been sorry she had to leave in such a hurry.

"What the fuck have you done Hap?" Clay growled.

Happy didn't answer his president, not out of disrespect but what was there to say. Nothing happened but the bitch obviously had told differently to her old man. He kicked the dirt in front of his feet. "She told me what hotel she was staying in and to come see her."

"And you did?" clay drawled slowly with frustration and disbelieve.

"Of course not. Came straight back to the club."

"Nothing worse than a scorned woman." Tig taunted his brother earning a pointed finger in his face of his president.

"You guys have no idea who you are dealing with." Clay roared up his bike and the rest followed him back to Teller Morrow.

-=SOA=-

"Long time no see Richard." Bachman watched as Clay walked towards him with his arms spread wide as if he was ready to meet his long lost friend. "Thank you for your work the other day."

It had been a long time ago that they decided to go their own separate ways and not completely without reason. In the last couple of years their paths had crossed occasionally again, time had buried old hatches and they had reached a mutual understanding of leaving the past in the past. "Where is she?" Bachman's voice was eerily calm.

"Hold up brother. I was just as surprised as you were when I heard she was in Charming. I gave you a phone call straight away didn't I? Would I have done that if one of my boys was shagging her?"

Clay might have had a point there but the image he painted of his Carmen getting done by one of these guys went like a bullet straight through Bachman's fatherly heart.

Clay never saw the left hook coming until he felt the force behind the fist that connected with his jaw. Stumbling back a few steps and shaking his head, Clay's hand went up to feel on the result of the impact. He spit the excess of blood stained saliva on the ground. "I deserved that." Clay motioned for his men to stand down. They had responded immediately ready to protect and defend their president and at his command they lowered their guns but kept them ready. "I can vouch that none of my guys has laid as much as a hand on her."

Bachman looked at the bikers behind Clay. "She is mine and off limits. Touch what's mine and become another name on the missing persons list." There were no emotions behinds his words but there was no doubt that Bachman was good for every word he spoke.

"Leave us guys." The men moved away to what could be considered a respectable distance to give Clay and Bachman some privacy.

"Don't worry about her Richard." Clay tried to reassure the cleaner.

Bachman looked at Clay, "She is_ mine_ to worry about." and with that he made his way towards his bike. The guys gathered around as they saw him ride off.

-=SOA=-

"That went rather well I suppose." Clay rubbed over his jaw and wiggled it from left to right. "He still has some punch left in him."

"What the hell happened to our freaky non conversational cleaner?" Tig asked at no one in particular. "Never knew he was the type of man to come and lay a threat on us like that."

"There is a lot you don't know about him." Clay sighed. "You heard the man, the girl is off limits, would hate to see any of you gone missing." He shot a look at all of them but his stare lingered on Happy in particular.

"No interest here." Happy responded.

Their parking lot meeting was disturbed by a white van driving through the gates. Clay turned towards the upcoming van. "Talk about the devil."

Happy lost all faith when Carmen jumped out and stretched her arms and back before approaching them. "Which one of you is Happy?"

**Oh … is that the cat coming out of the bag? I think it is …  
>Please let me know what you think, reviews make me happy! <strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Can't say thank you enough for the support and the reviews. Really means a lot to me and it really encourages me to write on. I hope you will enjoy this chapter. **

Carmen mentally slapped herself when she was met by the indifferent and cold stares that the bikers were giving her in reply to her question. She had been driving nonstop from Tacoma to Charming and the fatigue had slowly out won from the steady supply of caffeine and chocolate, a deadly combination. The two C's gave her a false sense of awareness responsible for her dauntless state and the fatigue made it that she constantly was that one step behind on herself. All she really wanted was to go back to the hotel in Lodi, but she didn't want to park her van there, not before she had met with 'Happy'.

She looked at the men in front of her and wondered which one of them was 'Happy'. Judging by the Clay's facial expression, he certainly wasn't. She snickered at her own joke but realized at the same time that she could and probably should have approached them differently.

"Let's try that again." She groaned to herself. She mentally reversed herself back in time and lifted her head to look at the bikers. She dropped her arms to her side and exhaled trying to relax and achieve a more appropriate and humble posture. "Excuse me, could you tell me where I can find Happy? I was told I could find him here."

-=SOA=-

Happy was a man of honor with a reputation. A reputation that was especially valuable to him and that made him especially vulnerable to blows to said reputation. To him there wasn't mediocrity, the club was his life and he was loyal to a fault. Unlike many of his brothers he kept himself to himself, he didn't need to put himself out there to prove himself. He had earned his patch, he respected what it represented and demanded the same respect in return. To him that also meant that he didn't bring drama to their doorstep, not if he could help it and certainly not in the shape and form of a dark haired, fair skinned … _maid. _

He questioned himself what he had done to get himself into this situation. She was asking for him but he was fucked if he knew what she wanted. The change in her demeanor hadn't gone unnoticed and he had silently applauded it. At least it showed that she had some common sense in her.

"What you want." He said as he stepped forward.

After their encounter in the little diner he expected to see the challenge flare up in her eyes and he was ready to set her straight but when her eyes snapped up to his she didn't hold his gaze. Instead she stepped back and offered him a soft smile. She looked more tired and vulnerable and didn't even try to hide it. Happy couldn't match this with what he had seen from her so far. She didn't falter the first night they had met and she had balls enough to stick her dinner on his tap, not to mention the bullshit she had told her old man.

"Hello Happy." She spoke his name as if she extending an introduction that was never made. His thoughts flashed back to both previous encounters and he realized that she never knew his name but apparently she never asked Bachman or Audrey for it either. He saw her look up and noticed the frown that came over her face.

"Let me see if I got this right. Brian asked me to drop this stuff of and said that Kozik … " She hesitated and looked at him for confirmation which he didn't offer. He never gave out the names of his brothers.

She shrugged and continued. "I think it was him anyways, tall good looking one with blond spikey hair? Anyways Brian said that he would sort the finances with you."

"Can't be Kozik."

"Oh … " Carmen looked at one of the other bikers that she had seen the other day in front of Krauszer's.

"He's not good looking." Tig added as a matter of fact.

Carmen laughed and tilted her head. "You're saying it."

Her laugh was disarming and her comment was witty but it held respect. She wasn't trying to be smart or tough, she was merely trying to hold her own in front of them. Happy still had a thing or two that he wanted to say to this broad but he wasn't one to act out in front of his brothers. He would get his message across when he deemed the time to be right. He had time and patience.  
>He was an enforcer and even though he never shied away from immediate action, violence or brutal force, by nature he considered himself more of a hunter. Patiently waiting for the right moment to strike, taking pleasure in stalking his prey, slowly closing in causing fear and confusion to take hold of his prey. It wasn't all about the kill, it always was about the hunt. The killing was just part of his job, a necessity that needed to be done to protect his club, his brother's, his family.<p>

Happy remembered the words of Ernest Hemingway. _Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and like it, never really care for anything else thereafter. _He might not have been one of those spoiled brat college boy's who's mommy and daddy paid for their car and tuition but that didn't mean that he wasn't educated. And Ernest Hemingway sure knew what he was talking about.

"You got a place to put this stuff?" Carmen asked while making her way to the back of the van breaking him out of his thoughts.

Happy nodded and followed her. He noticed that she was very cautious about turning her back to him which pleased him inwardly. She clearly was a fast learner and obviously hadn't forgotten about the night that he had stalked behind her. Just like she hadn't put her hands within his reach a second time after he had hold on to her wrist in the diner. She opened the doors of the van and jumped in. He hadn't expected the amount of high quality equipment that was stacked inside the van. It was packed with chemicals, biohazard waste containers and hard core cleaning supplies varying from brooms, brushes and sledgehammers to ozone machines and a heavy duty power generator.

"Brian secured your stuff to the side, need to move some things around."

She expertly moved things around as if she was solving a sliding puzzle creating room to free his boxes. She tugged on the solid ropes that secured them to the side of the van when his eyes fell on a picture nailed to the wall. _One shot, one kill._ The words decorated an old photo of a concealed sniper holding an M21.

"My dad." She said and nodded to where he was looking. "He was a sniper in the USMC back in the day. Never one to waste a bullet. I like the simplicity behind it."

-=SOA=-

Lee Hancox hurled his phone against the wall of his makeshift office when his call was again put through to the voicemail service. He was beyond frustration; five men just don't go missing. One occasionally falls of the face of the earth but not five and certainly not at the same time. They had been gone without a trace and no one had heard or seen them. At first he thought that they had been out on a wild night in town and he had been ready to skin them alive the moment they would resurface but the silence that hung around his five men was deafening. Something had gone down and he was hell bend on finding the bastard responsible.

Lee Hancox wasn't exactly regarded as a pussycat. Various sources suggested that he was 'psychologically flawed' and a 'control freak' with a nasty temper.

"It will be alright baby." Linda purred at her boss as she stood behind him and wrapped her arms around him softly letting her hands roam over his chest. She softly nibbled at his earlobe willing to calm him down and to make him feel better.

Lee grabbed one of her hands and pulled her onto his lap as he turned around on his office chair. "You think so sweetheart?" He drawled back at her letting his finger trace lightly over her face following her jawline.

"Yes I think so." She answered with confidence as she quickly dipped her head to catch Lee's finger in her mouth and softly suckled on it.

"Well it is a good thing then that I don't pay you to think now is it?" Lee roughly pushed her from his lap causing the girl to fight for her balance on her high heels. He shook his head. "Just get lost Linda, don't need you here."

Linda pouted but didn't argue, she knew better than to push it. If she wanted to stay near him she was better off getting out of his way now that he handed her a free pass. She quickly grabbed her purse and made her way to the door. "I see you later baby." She whispered softly, already knowing that she wasn't to expect him home any time soon.

-=SOA=-

Carmen softly cursed at the tight knots that Brian tied in the ropes. She knew that if he was able to see her struggle he would probably laugh and would untangle the whole thing in one easy and effortless move. He always used these mysterious knots that only he could undo. All she had managed so far was to make it tighter.

Happy had watched her hang unsuccessfully on the end of the rope with her full body weight and was lightly amused at her incapability of undoing the knot. He was tired of waiting around and about to step inside the van to take over from her when she gave up on what she was doing. She angrily opened a drawer of one of the toolboxes and pulled out a leather knife roll. Unfolding it she took out a medium sized knife and sliced through the rope without giving it a second thought.

"If the beaten path doesn't get you there, then take the road that does." She spoke with a stubborn determination.

She had put her foot in front of the box that held his forty- something inch television inside to prevent it from sliding and supported its weight against her leg. "This is where I could use some help here."

She clearly hadn't thought about what she was going to do once the ropes became untied. Happy stepped inside the van. There was hardly any room for her to move around on her own let alone for the two of them to maneuver around each other. There was no way that he could have avoided stepping into her personal space. Not that he was particularly bothered about someone else's space, let alone hers but she should have been bothered with it. He was standing so close to her that he could hear her breathe and he could nearly feel her senses respond to his presence. He looked down at her and watched how she willed herself not to move. It was all too clear to him why Bachman had paid them that visit earlier, the old man needed to because she surely didn't know how to behave as his old lady.

When he put his knee against the box to take over the weight of it his leg pressed against her thigh. He snorted when he heard her sharp intake of air at the brief moment were they physically touched. Her eyes shot up to his before she put one of her feet on top of the generator to hop over it. He felt her hand grab hold of his shoulder to help pull herself up. He was surprised by the strength that he felt behind her grip. Without notice she leaped over the generator and as in reflex Happy outstretched his arm and placed his hand on her hip to steady her on the other side of the jump.

He felt her lean into his touch and she looked him straight in the eyes maintaining the eye contact. "Thank you."

His hand still lingered on her hip when the sound of a rumbling engine made them both look out the back of the van.

"Oh shit." Carmen mumbled and at the same time Happy released his hold on her.

Happy felt her energy freeze on the spot as he watched how Bachman killed the engine of his bike at the end of the lot. He didn't get of his bike but even from this distance Happy could see that his eyes were trained on the white cleaning van.

Both Carmen and Happy were brought out of their own separate thoughts by the double tap on the side of the van. "We got company."

He looked at Carmen who still stood frozen on her spot but he saw her eyes lock onto the man that had clearly come for her.

"This calls for some serious damage control." She sighed.

Happy followed her with his eyes as she hopped out of the van and started to walk towards her old man. She wasn't showing the same bounce in her steps or sway in her hips as he had been when he watched her walk away from him in the diner. Her strides were long and urgent as if she knew the confrontation was inevitable. She didn't waste time or stalled by any means to get to him.

He heard Tig's voice before he saw his brother's face poke around the open van doors. "Scared to come out bro?"

"Just shut up and help me get these."

Tig looked over his shoulder back at Carmen and the cleaner and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What has he got anyways?"

Happy glanced at the direction of the odd couple in their lot and shook his head. He had no clue what the broad saw in the old man or what made her stay with him. He could see why he would hang on to her. She wasn't exactly painful to look at. "Pick up these boxes and get them inside."

"What's in them?"

"Two televisions for my mom and aunt, a stereo and a laptop."

Tig frowned. "And how did you get those?" He paused and up nodded over his shoulder. "Of her."

"Less of the questions?" Happy said as he passed the first box over to Tig.

Tig and Happy unloaded the boxes from the van and made the prospect take them inside the clubhouse. Juice and Clay were still standing next to the van keeping their attention on Carmen and Bachman. Judging by both their body language the conversation had started out pretty heated but by now it had slowly died down.

"She's got that old bastard wrapped around her little finger." Clay concluded from what he had observed so far when Tig and Happy joined them again.

"Can't really blame him, I would let her wrap herself around a little something of mine. That's one hot naughty body."

Juice glanced at Happy behind Tig's back and mouthed 'little' as he indicated a short space between his finger and thumb.

The four of them watched as Bachman started his bike and rolled out of the lot. Carmen waited until he was out of sight before speeding back to the van.

"You got your things?" She asked Happy in a hurry while she eyed the inside of the van.

"Your old man alright?" Clay wanted to know what had been said between the two. The warning that Bachman had given off had been painfully clear and was still fresh on his mind and he didn't need some domestic to be fought out over the back of his club.

They watched as Carmen smiled and gave them a wink. "He'll get over whatever his problem is. Nothing a few cinnamon rolls can't fix. I might be thirty five years old but I will always be my daddy's little girl."

Tig choked slightly. "Is that your dad?"

"Yeah what else would he be? Didn't notice we carry the same last name?" Her face went from puzzled to disgust with lightning speed when she realized they had thought he was her … well not her father. "My God… that's sick, that's just sick."

**And there it is … ;-)**

**I am going to Cuba soon for a few weeks, so I am busy getting everything sorted before I can go on holiday. I hope to be able to get another chapter in before I leave otherwise this story will be on hold until the first week of April. I hope you will be still there when I return.  
>Please review to let me know what you think! Thank you for reading! <strong>


End file.
